A Very Hitchcock Christmas – Streaming Starts Dec 10!
What happens when Santa’s Sleigh gets shot down over rough waters, or two impressionable elves take the theories of a diabolical Professor Rudolph just a little too far? Enjoy these riotous riffs and many more in A VERY HITCHCOCK CHRISTMAS! This “twisted” holiday show features six cinnamon-spiced, deliciously dark short plays inspired by Rear Window, Rebecca, Rope and more of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic films. Simulcast and on-demand: December 10-31. Admission free (suggested donation $5-30). Make your FREE reservation NOW!
The lineup includes:
A Stranger on a Holiday Train
Two strangers. On a train. One nice person gives people what they want. And another nice person has wants… needs… and one of those needs… is naughty. Based on Strangers on a Train.
Santa On a Rope
Frillip and Bingles aren’t just ordinary elves with impressionable minds, just ask them. Tonight, they enact Professor Rudolph’s most extreme theory making this a Christmas to remember. Based on Rope
Christmas at Manderley
A grand Victorian manor. A brooding gentleman. A working-class ingénue. Ornaments – shattered. Strings! Best stay away from the windows. Based on Rebecca.
A Window-ful Christmas
A photographer spots a white-bearded “salesman” lurking in the apartment across the way. Does he see what he thinks he sees? Or is his vision just another childish dream? Based on Rear Window.
How The Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas
All the people down in Fairvale liked Christmas a lot
But Norma Bates, town pariah, really did not. Based on Psycho.
Life-Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?
When Santa’s Sleigh gets shot down over rough waters, Old Saint Nick, a few Reindeer, and a most unlikely guest are forced to share a tiny floating transport. Based on Lifeboat
This year’s plays are written by Shoshanna Ruth Green, Michael B. Kaplan, Jeffrey Lo, J.S. Puller, Alexis Standridge, and Eteya Trinidad; and directed by Linda Amayo-Hassan, Norman Gee, Jim Kleinmann, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Katja Rivera, and Tracy Ward.
Appearing in this years’ round of short holiday plays are: Anne Darragh, Natalia Delgado, L. Duarte, Gisela Feied, Leon Goertzen, Gwen Loeb, Alicia Mason, Khary Moye, Karen Offereins, Louis Parnell, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Louel Señores, Robert Sicular, Dave Sikula, Chris Steele, Isabel To, Maryssa Wanlass, Wayne Wong, and Hector Zavala. Production/Design: Jenna Stein-Corman (Stage Manager), Brittany Mellerson (Lighting Designer), James Goode (Sound Designer), Chris Steele (Costume Designer), and Dianne Harrison (Properties Artisan).
About PlayGround
Founded in 1994 by Jim Kleinmann, Brighde Mullins and Denise Shama, PlayGround has grown into the Bay Area’s leading playwright incubator and theatre community hub, with a core commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, helping to uplift and center artists from historically underrepresented communities. Over three decades, PlayGround has supported more than 300 early-career playwrights, developing and staging over 1,500 of their original short plays through PlayGround’s signature programs, Monday Night PlayGround and the PlayGround Festival of New Works. PlayGround has also commissioned 94 new full-length plays by 60 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and has directly facilitated the premiere of 36 of those works through its innovative New Play Production Fund. Over the past 29 years, PlayGround has developed a unique model for identifying and nurturing some of this country’s best new writers, while helping them to build a significant body of original work and lasting connections with the artistic collaborators they need to know to ensure their success. PlayGround expanded to Los Angeles in 2012, to NYC in 2021, and to Chicago in 2022.
In Summation:
WHAT: PlayGround presents its second annual “twisted” holiday show, featuring returning short plays by Jeffrey Lo, Alexis Standridge, and Eteya Trinidad, and three new short plays by Shoshanna Green, Michael B. Kaplan, and J.S. Puller, melding holiday themes and your favorite Hitchcock thrillers, including Rope, Rear Window, Psycho, and more!
WHERE: Simulcast online and on-demand
WHEN: December 10-31
TICKETS: Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted) but advance reservations are recommended. Masks are optional for in-person performance at Potrero Stage. Links for online viewing will be sent the day of the performance and can also be accessed through your PlayGround account at https://tickets.playground-sf.org (log in, click “home” for the main menu, then “tickets for upcoming performances”, select the proper show, and choose “watch”). If you have any questions, please contact the Box Office at boxoffice@playground-sf.org. For more information about PlayGround’s “twisted” holiday show, call (415) 992-6677 or visit https://playground-sf.org/hitchcockchristmas.